Selecta
Also spelled: Selector, Selektah
Meaning
The person who chooses and plays the records at a sound system dance or on radio. Distinct from the English 'DJ', because in Jamaican tradition the selecta picks the tunes while the 'deejay' (MC) toasts or chats over them.
Examples
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“Di selecta wheel up di tune two time.”
The selector rewound and replayed the track twice.
'wheel up' is the act of pulling a record back to restart a hot tune, a selecta's signature move.
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“Dat selecta deh have di baddest dubplate dem.”
That selector has the best exclusive dubplates.
'baddest' means best; 'deh' marks the specific one being pointed out.
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“Yuh a call yuhself a selecta an yuh cyaa read di crowd?”
You call yourself a selector and you can't read the crowd?
'cyaa' = cannot; reading the crowd is the core skill being questioned.
Origin
From English 'selector', reshaped by Jamaican pronunciation that drops the final 'r' and softens the vowel; rooted in the sound system culture that emerged from the 1950s.
How it's used
Respected title within dancehall and reggae culture. Calling a true selecta a 'DJ' can be seen as ignorant of the tradition, since the two roles are historically separate.